Syracuse Chiefs

Stephen Strasburg will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in what amounts to a significant step in his recovery from a strained left oblique. The Nationals’ right-hander threw 51 pitches in a simulated game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Friday. He was placed on the disabled list…

At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Matt Grace was at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, wearing his Chiefs uniform, looking forward to a matinee against Rochester that would begin 30 minutes later. Ten hours later, Grace found himself in the clubhouse at Nationals Park, a pack of reporters surrounding him and asking about the scoreless inning of…

The Nationals have optioned right-hander A.J. Cole – considered their second-best pitching prospect – to Triple-A Syracuse, ending his outside shot of earning a roster spot this spring. Cole, 23, will return to the Chiefs where he spent the second half of his 2014 season. The former fourth round pick made two appearances this spring,…

The Nationals made a trio of roster moves on Monday, sending outfielder Brian Goodwin and pitchers Sammy Solis and Felipe Rivero to the minors. Goodwin was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while Solis and Rivero were handed to Double-A Harrisburg. Rivero, a 23-year-old lefty, pitched two scoreless innings for the Nationals this spring. In a tweet announcing…

The Nationals made several minor roster moves this weekend, including sending right-hander Taylor Hill and infielder Jeff Kobernus to Triple-A Syracuse. They also optioned pitchers Eric Fornataro, Mitch Lively and Scott McGregor to minor league camp. Hill, 26, made three appearances with the Nationals this spring. He allowed two earned runs, one homer and five hits.…

Nationals minor league coordinator Tony Beasley has left the organization to become the new third base coach of the Texas Rangers, the Nats announced on Tuesday. Beasley served the same role for the Nationals in 2006 on Frank Robinson’s staff before leaving to coach the Pirates for three seasons. He returned to the Nats in 2011 to…

With the Syracuse Chiefs getting eliminated from the International League playoffs on Friday night, the Nationals called up two more players to expand their roster to 34. Outfielder Michael A. Taylor – 2014 MVP of the Double-A Eastern League – and right-hander Ryan Mattheus – a member of the team’s 2012 NL East division champion…

As the Syracuse Chiefs close in on a first place finish in the International League, the awards are starting to roll in for the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate. On Tuesday, outfielder Steven Souza, Jr. was named the IL’s most valuable player and rookie of the year. Manager Billy Gardner, Jr. also took home the award for…

Nationals outfielder Nate McLouth had successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Thursday, effectively ending his 2014 season. Now, with five weeks left to go, the Nationals will look to fill the position he was expected to hold down with the playoffs in mind. Veteran Nate Schierholtz – who was…

[Updated 6:47 p.m.] Nationals minor leaguer Michael A. Taylor – considered the organization’s best position player prospect – has been promoted from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse, Nats general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed on Monday. Taylor, 23, was enjoying a breakout season with the Senators. Through 98 games he hit .313 with 22 home runs, 61 RBI…

With the MLB All-Star break occurring this week, it seems like a good time to take a look at the Nationals’ minor league affiliates. There have been some big surprises and disappointments in the Nats’ farm system in 2014, here is a breakdown of the standouts on each team: — TRIPLE-A SYRACUSE CHIEFS Best position player:…

Nationals pitching prospect A.J. Cole was promoted from Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, as he continues his development as one of the Nats’ most promising minor leaguers. Cole, 22, is considered the team’s second best prospect after fellow right-hander Lucas Giolito and was ranked 69th among all MLB prospects by Baseball America prior to…

The Nationals reinstated center fielder Denard Span off the 7-day disabled list on Saturday, and optioned Steven Souza, Jr. back to Triple-A Syracuse. Span had been out since April 11 after sustaining a concussion in Atlanta in a game against the Braves. He made two rehab appearances with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns before rejoining the…

Each of the Nationals’ four minor minor league affiliates begin their seasons on Thursday, the same day as the Nats’ home opener in Washington. With the MLB regular season underway, here is a look at the team’s minor league rosters for 2014.

Heading into a year he hopes to make the Nationals’ roster out of spring training, infielder Zach Walters put in extra time this offseason playing winter ball in Venezuela. The experience in the South American country, however, got off to an ominous start. Walters fell ill on the second day there with a virus and…

The Nationals have re-signed Will Rhymes to a minor-league contract, giving the 30-year-old infielder an invitation to big-league spring training, according to his agency. Rhymes, who played at the College of William and Mary, was at Nationals camp last spring and wound up spending the season at Class AAA Syracuse. He hit .274 with a…

The Syracuse Chiefs have served as the Nationals’ Class AAA affiliate for the last five years, and the two clubs will continue their partnership for at least five more years after Wednesday’s announcement of a player development contract extension that runs through 2018. This new contract extension, a four-year agreement, is the first long-term deal…